Annick Goutal Tenue de Soiree is inspired by a Parisian woman getting ready for a night out. It’s the anticipation of the evening ahead with a squoosh of this modern chypre adding a final touch to a presumably chic outfit. Also- check out that pompom! Oh la la.

Tenue de Soiree is an unusual scent in that it professes to have only two notes: iris and patchouli. I love it because it is a chypre (pronounced sheep-ruh) for the millennial palate and for old bats like me at the same time. That’s not easy. These days, the old bats want chypres and the millennials want vanilla and fruit. Tenue de Soiree manages to meet in the middle without being too um “classic” nor too sweet. Applause.

The notes are iris and patchouli. Just those two. Nothing else. However, I definitely get a whiff of sandalwood and the faintest hint of warm vanilla or tonka. In any case, there’s a subtle cosy note that doesn’t wander into cupcake territory. Strictly, speaking this doesn’t adhere to the usual chypre make up: usually but not always bergamot, oakmoss and patchouli. Tenue de Soiree however, does have that chypre style finish which is dry and woody and slightly earthy, thanks to the patchouli.

This is simply done and very effective and out of all the very good fragrances in the Perfume Society Latest Launches Discovery Box, this one really stood out for me. It’s a bit different and a bit daring, but it can also make a cupcake fan look twice. I hope so, anyway.

Avon has a knack of launching scents that are bang on trend and have the “IT”-notes of the moment. You could accuse them of bringing out too many and spreading them too thin, but perfume moves fast. What’s very NOW could be SO last month before you can use up a whole bottle. Some come and go, and some remain Avon classics. Only sales figures will tell.

Today I am reviewing one of the Little Black Dress flankers: in this case, Little Lace Dress. I bought a purse spray (can I just say yet again how much I love a purse spray?) for just 1.99 and a jolly good buy it was too.

Little Lace Dress opens with a burst of orange citrus and note-du-jour blackcurrant. Then the middle phase goes straight into big, creamy jasmine. It’s so rich you couldn’t eat a whole one. The patchouli flounces in and works its throaty magic, giving this an edge over a standard floral.

Little Lace Dress smells very similar to many best sellers that are currently flying off the shelves on the High Street. Over on Fragrantica, readers are comparing it to Coco Mademoiselle, Chanel Chance Eau Tendre and Estee Lauder Modern Muse. I’m on the fence a little bit here. This has a floral sweetness that is cranked up a few more notches than Modern Muse, and doesn’t smell exactly like Coco Mademoiselle, but certainly has the big jasmine and patchouli, giving it an instantly recognisable 2017 accord.. This would suit the young palate that thirsts for the big names but may not have the banknotes to capture one.

This month’s Avon brochure has about twelve purse sprays, each at 1.99, so expect more reviews in this vein. Purse sprays just thrill me to bits. It’s the hit of a new perfume, without the guilt of a big price tag. I would definitely recommend Little Lace Dress as a go to scent for not much money. It’s modern, on trend and ticks all the boxes except for the one marked “expensive”

Stockists

You can buy Avon Little Lace Dress from Avon UK ( at the time of going to press, you can buy two bottles of selected Avon fragrance for just £14) or from your Avon rep, like I do. I bought this myself and views are my own.Follow

I am no snob when it comes to celebrity fragrances, as you may have noticed. I think that if a perfume was made by a professional and is priced to fit a low cost market, it’s worth a sniff. You may just end up with a pleasant bargain. I pay no heed to the name on the bottle.

Queen by Queen Latifah is a refreshing change for the normal sleb fare. For one thing, it’s not fruity floral. It is, however a little bit fruity patchouli hoo-hah, but with a bit of extra richness and a shot of Cognac, it is made rich rather then cheap smelling.

There is a big dose of Vanilla when you first spray it, but it is so rich that it avoids the usual error of smelling cakey. This smells more like fermented Vanilla in a liqueur. That first loud shot of it is tempered by a few citrus notes, calming it down, like two sensible friends with a drunk. After that the citruses fade and the Vanilla and Patchouli take centre stage and do a karaoke number together, so inseparable are they.

Forgive me if I wander into the metaphoric territory of a louche night time bar: The booze in this and the last few festive days I’ve had are at the forefront of my mind when I smell this.

All in all, this is a rich winter gourmand. Yes it’s Vanilla, and yes its Patchouli but somehow, they have cranked up the volume and left out the candy floss and this works in the same way that eggnog works, but shouldn’t.